tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/phd-research-91294/articlesPhD research – The Conversation2023-09-21T04:12:41Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2139942023-09-21T04:12:41Z2023-09-21T04:12:41ZPolitics with Michelle Grattan: ANU Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt on the challenges universities face<p>Australia’s higher education sector is under heavy scrutiny. Still recovering from the impact of COVID and criticised for its treatment of staff, it faces strong pressures to step up its performance.</p>
<p>The government launched a broad <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-universities-accord-could-see-the-most-significant-changes-to-australian-unis-in-a-generation-194738">review of the sector</a> in late 2022 to inform a Universities Accord. The interim report was <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-job-ready-graduates-scheme-for-uni-fees-is-on-the-chopping-block-but-what-will-replace-it-209974">released in July</a>, with the full report coming in December. Professor Brian Schmidt, is one of Australia’s most eminent academics, an astrophysicist who shared a Nobel Prize in 2011. Schmidt has been Vice-Chancellor at the Australian National University since 2016, a role he leaves at the end of the year.</p>
<p>The Universities Accord <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/australian-universities-accord/resources/accord-interim-report">interim report</a> suggests 55% of jobs by 2050 will require a higher education qualification. At the moment, the share sits at 36%. To reach that target, Schmidt says institutions, secondary educators and governments will need to work together:</p>
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<p>The single most important thing, is our students when they finish high school have to be university ready. Universities are trying to fix the problems and shortcomings of our [Kindergarten to Year 12] system or even pre-K-12 system. We are the last line of defence.</p>
<p>Once students have graduated and they are university ready, then certainly here at ANU, we find that the access to university is not level. Why? Because studying full time at university is full time. And the notion that they’re going to go work a full-time job and study full-time seems possible and is done by many of the students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, but it puts them at a huge disadvantage. It’s just really difficult to do that. </p>
<p>So we really need to focus on adequate support for students, especially in that first year or two when they come to university so that they can study alongside everyone else on equal basis.</p>
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<p>Schmidt believes universities are facing their “Uber moment” - where big tech companies like LinkedIn, Meta, and Microsoft “take out the middle man” (higher education) and team up with leading institutions like Harvard or Oxford to offer a streamlined, recognised course at a fraction of the cost. </p>
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<p>I guess the question is, do I want to be at the ANU competing with that? The answer is no, because I’m going to lose. Their cost structures are cheaper than mine, but what they’re offering is not what I’m trying to offer. I’m trying to provide people the ability to do more than just the homogenised offering and get to talk to the people who write the textbooks [and] get to live on campus with a bunch of people not just doing the IT degree you are doing.</p>
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<p>With not enough academic jobs available to employ the PhD graduates who want them, are we turning out too many? </p>
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<p>This will be controversial. But the answer I think right now, given the state of the economy, probably yes.</p>
<p>It’s not just academic jobs, we don’t expect all of our PhDs to go get academic jobs. It’s never been that way and it shouldn’t be that way. What we do expect is those PhD students to go get jobs where their skills of research and knowledge add a lot of value to their job. And that’s the part where the Australian economy isn’t very developed.</p>
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<p>The accord’s interim report also highlights the <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-obviously-needs-to-be-done-how-to-make-australian-universities-safe-from-sexual-violence-210057">rate of sexual harassment and assault</a> experienced by students on campuses. A parliamentary inquiry has recommended an independent taskforce to oversee universities’ performance in dealing with this problem. Schmidt agrees the situation is unnacceptable, but believes institutions should have the final say in how and what action is taken. </p>
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<p>Sexual violence is, I am sad to say, rife across Australia […] I truly believe that universities have stood up in a way that no other part of society ever has. We have not ducked. We have actually stood up. But of course, when you stand up and take ownership, the ugly state of reality comes to light.</p>
<p>The proposed committee to oversight at some level I think is not a bad idea. I want to have an expert committee to respond to and to demonstrate the work I am doing. I want to be held accountable, but I want to be held accountable by people who understand the area and can make sensible judgements of what I am doing - being adequate, outstanding or inadequate. </p>
<p>I want to be held accountable by a body, but I do not want that body disembodied from my own governance to command me what to do - because I am confident I am going to do a better job than it can. And so that is an important bit. I want to demonstrate to it that I am doing an outstanding job. I do not want to be dictated what to do because that will be a lowest common denominator.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In this podcast, ANU Vice Chancellor and astrophysicist Brian Schmidt joins The Conversation to discuss the challenges universities are facingMichelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1922742022-11-09T14:12:58Z2022-11-09T14:12:58ZClimate change: West Africa’s oceans at risk because of a lack of monitoring<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492280/original/file-20221028-53244-can6ka.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The West African coastline is a source of livelihood for millions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons/Paul Walter</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Canary-Current">West African Canary Current</a> extends along the north-west African coast, from the northern Atlantic coast of Morocco to Guinea-Bissau. It’s a hotspot for changes in the oceans driven by climate change. These include rising temperatures, <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-you-need-know-about-ocean-acidification">ocean acidification</a> and <a href="https://scripps.ucsd.edu/research/climate-change-resources/faq-ocean-deoxygenation#:%7E:text=Deoxygenation%20is%20the%20overall%20decline,through%20photosynthesis%2C%20ventilation%2C%20mixing.">ocean deoxygenation</a>. All affect marine life on multiple levels. </p>
<p>The current is one of the world’s most productive ocean ecosystems, a consequence of the upwelling of cold and nutrient-rich waters. Ecosystems like this provide around <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332221004115#:%7E:text=Expanding%20ocean%20observation%20and%20climate%20services%20to%20build%20resilience%20in%20West%20African%20fisheries,-Author%20links%20open&text=The%20Canary%20Current%20is%20a,for%20national%20economies%20and%20livelihoods">20% of global fish catches</a> and support livelihoods in coastal communities. </p>
<p>From 2016 -2019, we worked with an international team to draw attention to the impacts of climate change on the West African Canary Current. In a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332221004115#:%7E:text=Expanding%20ocean%20observation%20and%20climate%20services%20to%20build%20resilience%20in%20West%20African%20fisheries,-Author%20links%20open&text=The%20Canary%20Current%20is%20a,for%20national%20economies%20and%20livelihoods.">recent publication</a>, we described the limited economic and institutional capacity to monitor and respond to climate variability and change in the countries bordering the West African Canary Current and the urgent need to build scientific capacity in the region in order address this shortcoming.</p>
<h2>What’s missing</h2>
<p>The waters of the West African Canary Current share a key characteristic with those of the coast of Oregon in the Pacific north west of America – namely ocean acidification. This happens when the large amounts of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the ocean dissolves in seawater as carbonic acid.</p>
<p>In 2007 shellfish growers in Oregon were nearly all wiped out economically due to increasing acidity of the ocean. The waters they grew their shellfish in had become corrosive to calcium carbonate – the building block for the skeletons and shells of shellfish and corals. The waters they farmed in had become corrosive to the shells of the sea butterfly, <em>Limacina helicina</em>, a delicate sea snail that is only 5mm across. The snail underpins key marine food webs that sustain herring, salmon, whales, seals, seabirds and other species. </p>
<p>But in California, people who depend on the ocean for their livelihood are in a position to understand, anticipate and to some degree adapt to the impacts of climate change on the region. This is thanks to an extensive network of state-of-the-art sensors and input from researchers from academia and the US government.</p>
<p>This is not the case in West Africa. There is only a single mooring – these are long anchored lines of scientific equipment and floats which are deployed to collect a range of ocean data over long periods – managed by French researchers to monitor the impacts of climate change on the West African Canary Current. </p>
<p>Communities are effectively left blind to the effects of climate change. So they can’t take informed measures to adapt.</p>
<p>For example, if a fishery or shellfish stock collapses, stakeholders won’t know what the cause is. It could be as a consequence of overharvesting, deoxygenation that causes fish to migrate to more oxygen-rich waters, or shellfish mortality brought on by acid waters. Or a combination of these factors – or others. </p>
<p>Scientists, managers and stakeholders who want to understand and address the management of fisheries in the Canary Current can’t build or use models because there isn’t data. </p>
<p>To be useful, models must take into account the changes, variations and interactions of the ocean in the region. They must also be supported by regional data.</p>
<p>Without this information, results of tests are incomplete at best and misleading at worst. They are thus unsuitable for guiding management, policy, or donor decisions.</p>
<h2>Solutions</h2>
<p>Scientists from Chile have shown how the rigorous monitoring of climate change, and assessing its impacts on local shellfish species, can inform adaptation efforts. Chile borders the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0079661109001049">Humboldt Current System</a>, an Eastern boundary upwelling ecosystem that extends along the west coast of South America. They have discovered shellfish strains that are relatively tolerant to ocean acidification and optimal habitats for their potential cultivation. This provides a potential means of adaptation to future, and likely more acidic, oceans. These findings are <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287360675_Shellfishing_and_shell_midden_construction_in_the_Saloum_Delta_Senegal">applicable to Senegal</a>, where shellfish have been for at least 5,000 years.</p>
<p>An essential step to building the capacity required to effectively anticipate and adapt to changing ocean chemistry in the Canary Current will the training of additional African Ph.D.-level scientists. This training could be in disciplines such as oceanography, ecology, and physiology. This could be accomplished through novel north-south or south-south partnerships among institutions of higher education or through the strengthening of existing international partnerships. West African scientists would be best suited to address context-specific adaptation measures and incorporate their findings into national policies and legislation. </p>
<p>Another benefit of understanding climate change impacts on West African oceans would be to add more voices to the global chorus calling for reductions in CO2 emissions. Greater representation for those that are most vulnerable, yet least responsible, for those emissions is also important. </p>
<p>Wealthy nations rely upon the data from programmes to monitor ocean acidification, deoxygenation and warming to develop reliable models and policies that provide guidance to industries and local stakeholders. The West African countries bordering the Canary Current, for whom climate change impacts on the oceans will impact livelihoods, food security, and development outcomes, deserve no less.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192274/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There is only a single mooring managed by French researchers that monitors the impacts of climate change on West African Canary Current.Todd L Capson, Chercheur Associé, Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP)Marie Boye, Research Director, CNRS, Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1851382022-06-19T19:53:33Z2022-06-19T19:53:33ZHow are PhD students meant to survive on two-thirds of the minimum wage?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469173/original/file-20220616-9175-hex66r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C21%2C7040%2C4676&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the decades, supportive parents of Australian students on the cusp of graduating from their undergraduate studies have occasionally been struck by a bewildering decision by their pride and joy. Instead of pursuing an appetising salary in a prestigious company, their student has instead decided to do the unthinkable: they’re going to do a PhD. Where’s the money in that? What will we tell the neighbours?</p>
<p>A PhD program is foremost a training experience. A PhD student works a full-time apprenticeship (<a href="https://www.fairwork.gov.au/starting-employment/types-of-employees/full-time-employees#:%7E:text=Full%2Dtime%20employees%20usually%20work,on%20a%20fixed%20term%20contract.">38 hours a week</a> on average) in their chosen research field, guided by expert mentors along the way. While the choice to enter a PhD program is primarily based on a student wanting to upskill and learn, much like the choice to pursue an undergraduate degree, the starting point, method of study and outputs of a PhD are very different. </p>
<p>In Australia, the standard scheme to fund the living costs of PhD candidates is a tax-free stipend from their university. The university is allocated the funds via the <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/research-block-grants/research-training-program">Research Training Program (RTP)</a>. </p>
<p>This stipend is now $28,854 a year (indexed annually against inflation). That’s only two-thirds of the national minimum wage after last week’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/fair-work-commission-gives-a-5-2-40-a-week-increase-in-the-minimum-wage-185119">increase to $42,246.88</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/this-5-2-decision-on-the-minimum-wage-could-shift-the-trajectory-for-all-185117">This 5.2% decision on the minimum wage could shift the trajectory for all</a>
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<p>In weekly terms an income of $554.88 puts PhD candidates well below the <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/4110912/Poverty-Lines-Australia-December-2021.pdf">poverty line of $608.96</a> for a single person if they have to pay for housing. Further, it’s close to an all-time low of 30% as a proportion of average full-time earnings. </p>
<p>In 2017 a sliding scale of stipends was introduced. Looking at the websites of the 39 members of Universities Australia in June 2022, it is encouraging to see a few universities offer higher rates than the required minimum for their PhD programs. However, most universities still mandate the lowest base rate.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469170/original/file-20220616-16-48586p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469170/original/file-20220616-16-48586p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=186&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469170/original/file-20220616-16-48586p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=186&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469170/original/file-20220616-16-48586p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=186&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469170/original/file-20220616-16-48586p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=233&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469170/original/file-20220616-16-48586p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=233&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469170/original/file-20220616-16-48586p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=233&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Advertised annual PhD stipend at 39 Universities Australia member institutions.</span>
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<h2>A fair shake of the sauce bottle</h2>
<p>This funding arrangement has been in place for some time, serving the community reasonably well. However, in the current economic climate of uncertainty, rising costs of living, skyrocketing rents and the Fair Work Commission’s decision to increase the minimum wage by 5.2%, it is worth comparing <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/research-block-grants/resources/historical-stipend-rates-postgraduate-scholarships">historical stipend rates</a>, dating back to 1959, with other relevant yardsticks of income.</p>
<p>To make a fair comparison, we could scale up historically recorded weekly <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/average-weekly-earnings-australia">average</a>, <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/employee-earnings-and-hours-australia">median</a> and <a href="https://www.oecd.org/els/emp/Bray%20Minimum%20Wage%20-%20%20working%20paper%20version.pdf">minimum</a> wages over a 52-week year, noting that most Australian PhD programs permit 20 days of paid personal leave per year. Below, we see how these annual incomes have evolved over time since the inception of the PhD stipend. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469175/original/file-20220616-10535-dqn04p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469175/original/file-20220616-10535-dqn04p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469175/original/file-20220616-10535-dqn04p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469175/original/file-20220616-10535-dqn04p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469175/original/file-20220616-10535-dqn04p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469175/original/file-20220616-10535-dqn04p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469175/original/file-20220616-10535-dqn04p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469175/original/file-20220616-10535-dqn04p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Historical PhD stipend rates in Australia, compared to average full-time earnings, minimum wage and median full-time earnings (where available) [Sources: ABS, OECD]</span>
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<p>Alternately, we can plot the PhD base rate and minimum wage as proportions of the average full-time income. Also shown is the <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG?locations=AU">consumer price index (CPI)</a> as a standard measure of inflation, to give us some context – especially at this time of soaring living costs. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469176/original/file-20220616-12854-gw6x4q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469176/original/file-20220616-12854-gw6x4q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469176/original/file-20220616-12854-gw6x4q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469176/original/file-20220616-12854-gw6x4q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=314&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469176/original/file-20220616-12854-gw6x4q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469176/original/file-20220616-12854-gw6x4q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469176/original/file-20220616-12854-gw6x4q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">On the left hand axis, ratios of the PhD base rate and minimum wage against the average full-time income. On the right hand axis we show consumer price index (CPI) as a measure of inflation context. [Sources: ABS, OECD, World Bank]</span>
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<p>At present, PhD stipends languish far below the minimum wage, even allowing for tax on the minimum wage (take off roughly $4,600 for the new minimum wage). The PhD stipend is at a near historical low when compared to the average full-time annual income. </p>
<p>Clearly, from the historical trends in the above graphs, things weren’t always this bad. The minimum wage and PhD stipend values have been comparable, but now they are well and truly detached.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-a-good-time-to-be-getting-a-phd-we-asked-those-whove-done-it-159326">Is it a good time to be getting a PhD? We asked those who've done it</a>
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<p>Most PhD candidates have already done four or five years of university studies and have advanced, valuable skill sets. Being asked to live far below minimum wage seems a little unfair. </p>
<p>It’s also worth considering the <a href="https://www.rff.org/publications/explainers/measuring-how-scientific-research-benefits-society-using-economics/">overall benefits and impacts of knowledge generated</a> a PhD student generates. They produce journal articles throughout their PhD project. Being told to survive well below minimum wage, while making <a href="https://theconversation.com/measuring-the-value-of-science-its-not-always-about-the-money-39361">valuable contributions</a> to society and the future of Australia, doesn’t sound like a fair go for those who have a go, as a former prime minister <a href="https://twitter.com/scottmorrisonmp/status/1125332350882029572">once said</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-5-phd-students-could-drop-out-here-are-some-tips-for-how-to-keep-going-131902">1 in 5 PhD students could drop out. Here are some tips for how to keep going</a>
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<h2>But there is hope</h2>
<p>While these trends and current situations don’t make for happy reading, there is hope, and precedent for change. The above graphs show the Rudd-Gillard Labor governments arrested the free-fall in PhD stipend value around 2009. This happened in response to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-04-30/phd-students-living-below-poverty-line/2420670">a proposal</a> by the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations after PhD students fell below the poverty line for the first time. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.informatics-europe.org/data/higher-education/academic-salaries/phds-postdocs.html">Looking abroad to Europe</a>, countries like the UK, Germany and Italy show us it is possible to value the hard work of research students at universities.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469178/original/file-20220616-25-9civbh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469178/original/file-20220616-25-9civbh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469178/original/file-20220616-25-9civbh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469178/original/file-20220616-25-9civbh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469178/original/file-20220616-25-9civbh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469178/original/file-20220616-25-9civbh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469178/original/file-20220616-25-9civbh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Average PhD student salaries against average full-time salary in some European countries. [Source: Informatics Europe]</span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-can-get-a-better-return-on-its-investment-in-phd-graduates-69560">Australia can get a better return on its investment in PhD graduates</a>
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<p>The COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to consider the immediate relevance of cutting-edge science, technology and medical research. As the world waited for an end to lockdowns and uncertainty, PhD students were making vital contributions to help find a way out of our global predicament. Although usually in a supporting capacity, their role required a significantly advanced and niche skill set. </p>
<p>Some of these PhD students across Australia probably could have made a bit more money working fewer hours if they did run off and join the circus instead, but we’re lucky they didn’t.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185138/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nathan Garland has previously received funding from an Australian Postgraduate Award.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shaun Belward works for James Cook University. He received an Australian Postgraduate Research Award to study a PhD in the 1990s and has also benefitted from federally funded learning and teaching grants.</span></em></p>PhD students draw on their specialised and advanced skills to make a vital contribution to Australian research. Putting them on an income that’s below the poverty line doesn’t reflect their value.Nathan Garland, Lecturer in Applied Mathematics and Physics, Griffith UniversityShaun Belward, Associate Dean Learning and Teaching, College of Science & Engineering, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1763582022-02-10T00:54:12Z2022-02-10T00:54:12ZWill the government’s $2.2bn, 10-year plan get a better return on Australian research? It all depends on changing the culture<p>Over the past few years, the Morrison government has made A$2 billion funding commitments to everything from the <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/backing-australias-critical-minerals-sector">critical minerals and rare earths industry</a> to <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/boost-bushfire-recovery">bushfire recovery</a>. Now the government has made yet another $2 billion <a href="https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/taylor/media-releases/action-plan-supercharge-research-commercialisation">announcement</a> of an “action plan to supercharge research commercialisation”. It’s a longstanding challenge, one that many said <a href="https://theconversation.com/latest-government-bid-to-dictate-research-directions-builds-on-a-decade-of-failure-173834">should have been acted on long ago</a>.</p>
<p>This announcement may appear like the many others that came before it, particularly given it’s so close to an election. Nonetheless, this effort may ultimately have an impact on one of the most vexing aspects of Australia’s economy: the lack of research commercialisation.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-unis-are-far-behind-the-worlds-best-at-commercialising-research-here-are-3-ways-to-catch-up-159915">Our unis are far behind the world's best at commercialising research. Here are 3 ways to catch up</a>
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<h2>What is the plan?</h2>
<p>Most of the money under <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/university-research-commercialisation-package/resources/university-research-commercialisation-action-plan">the plan</a>, some $1.6 billion, will go to a ten-year competitive funding program, “Australia’s Economic Accelerator”. The aim is to help university projects bridge the so-called “<a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/work-with-us/funding-programs/funding/main-sequence">valley of death</a>” between early-stage research and commercialisation.</p>
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<p>The remaining parts of the plan include:</p>
<ul>
<li>$296 million for 1,800 industry-linked PhDs and 800 industry fellows over the next decade</li>
<li>$243.5 million for the previously announced <a href="https://ministers.dese.gov.au/morrison/trailblazer-universities-build-jobs-future">Trailblazer Universities</a> program to create four university-based research and industry hubs around the country – <a href="https://www.innovationaus.com/shortlist-unveiled-for-242m-commercial-research-program/">eight universities</a> have been shortlisted</li>
<li>$150 million to expand CSIRO’s <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/work-with-us/funding-programs/funding/main-sequence">Main Sequence</a> venture capital firm, which focuses on commercialising Australian research</li>
<li>a new standardised intellectual property (IP) framework – providing more uniform IP licensing terms, clauses and agreements – to support more seamless university-industry collaboration.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Is this just another band-aid policy?</h2>
<p>On the whole, Australian universities, businesses and science bodies have largely <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/business-and-universities-welcome-coalition-research-plan/news-story/9f35139a7153991b4199324308aecc4d">praised the announcement</a>. That’s a fairly uncommon outcome in this increasingly contentious space where finger-pointing is ubiquitous.</p>
<p>If anything, the chief criticism thus far is that the effort is <a href="https://www.innovationaus.com/govts-2b-commercialisation-focus-too-narrow/">too little and too late</a> for such a sizeable and consequential problem. After all, Australia’s record of research commercialisation remains <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/download/10915/university-research-commercialisation-consultation-paper/20886/document/pdf">one of the worst in the developed world</a>. Yet we have <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Clever-Collaborations-FINAL.pdf">world-class research facilities</a>. </p>
<p>Facing a <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-halved-international-student-numbers-in-australia-the-risk-now-is-we-lose-future-skilled-workers-and-citizens-175510">halving of international student numbers</a> in Australia and a Commonwealth government that seemingly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/04/australian-universities-angry-at-final-twist-of-the-knife-excluding-them-from-jobkeeper">went out of its way to exclude the higher education sector</a> from pandemic-related assistance, some may think universities should simply appreciate any help they can get. After all, this is the same government that cut <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/wa/article/Prime-Minister%25E2%2580%2599s-research-funding-announcement-a-further-step-in-the-wrong-direction-23131">$1.47 billion from the Australian Research Council</a> over the past nine years.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hit-hard-by-the-pandemic-researchers-expect-its-impacts-to-linger-for-years-169366">Hit hard by the pandemic, researchers expect its impacts to linger for years</a>
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<p>Yet, in reality, the $2.2 billion effort is unique not only for the size of the funding but also for its culture-focused reforms.</p>
<h2>What’s different about this plan?</h2>
<p>At the heart of the plan are steps to bridge the cultural chasm between two exceedingly different institutions: industry and the university sector. It’s perhaps the most important aspect of tackling lacklustre commercialisation.</p>
<p>The research culture of many Australian universities revolves around a mindset of publish or perish. This culture motivates the pursuit of PhDs to further academic knowledge. The focus ultimately prioritises publishing research over producing products and services that solve real-world problems. </p>
<p>The various global rankings of universities and the role of research in those rankings plays a key part in this mentality. A high global ranking enhances prestige, which in turn attracts students, so the logic goes. As a result, academics are encouraged to pursue both quality (highly ranked journals) and quantity (number of papers) in research.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-universities-may-be-at-a-turning-point-in-the-rankings-chase-so-what-next-156282">Australian universities may be at a turning point in the rankings chase. So what next?</a>
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<p>The most consequential impact of the Morrison plan may simply be the disruption of the publish-or-perish culture. The industry-linked PhDs, for example, would force often unwilling partners – industry and academia – to overcome cultural differences and work together on tackling problems. </p>
<p>Of course, there should always be room for blue sky research. However, more links with industry can make both the universities and individual researchers more oriented to practical solutions and commercial realities.</p>
<p>The Trailblazer scheme will create common ground for different stakeholders to work on mutually agreed goals. This process can nurture faith and confidence in each other’s abilities, leading to more productive practice-driven research.</p>
<p>The creation of a standardised IP framework may also help universities, particularly smaller ones with less administrative resources. The challenges of navigating the complex process of commercialisation can stymie collaboration with industry.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-cares-about-university-research-the-answer-depends-on-its-impacts-149817">Who cares about university research? The answer depends on its impacts</a>
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<h2>Will this plan work?</h2>
<p>The Morrison government plan’s proposal to change academic culture is an important step. But its success will depend on how effectively it tackles a mindset that underlies the publish-or-perish culture in Australian universities, and the intentions of the researchers themselves.</p>
<p>It would be a blunder to treat the diverse academic fraternity as one homogeneous group. Academics can have varying levels of motivation, some intrinsic and others extrinsic, that could drive them to become either a pure researcher or research-based entrepreneur.</p>
<p>The increased funding should be appreciated and will surely create incentives for universities to join hands to produce commercial products. But bringing about a change of heart is perhaps the first and more difficult step. The success of the government’s plan depends on it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176358/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Australia has world-class research but low rates of research commercialisation by global standards. The scale and cultural focus of the government’s plan mean it could have an impact on this problem.Jared Mondschein, Senior Research Fellow, US Studies Centre, University of SydneyRajat Roy, Associate Professor, Bond Business School, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1739822022-01-18T01:32:08Z2022-01-18T01:32:08ZPandemic disruption to PhD research is bad for society and the economy – but there are solutions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441184/original/file-20220117-17-124p4cc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4265%2C2839&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every year thousands of students enrol in PhD degrees at universities in New Zealand. The government funds their degrees because the advanced knowledge and innovations they develop <a href="https://mbienz.shinyapps.io/research-science-innovation-report/">benefit our economy and society</a>. </p>
<p>But there is <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/generation-research-workers-atrisk-newzealand">growing concern</a> about the impact of COVID-19 on doctoral students. It’s feared some will abandon their degrees, with real implications for the potential future social and economic benefits of the research.</p>
<p>PhD students are required to do extensive research and document their findings in a thesis. Many do this using specialised equipment available only on university campuses. </p>
<p>Due to the lockdowns in the past two years, however, most were locked out of their labs for several months. Given the ongoing uncertainty, how can we help students whose degrees are being disrupted?</p>
<h2>The funding problem</h2>
<p>The government bases funding on the assumption a PhD takes three years to complete full-time, plus the time for thesis examination, meaning universities are funded for these degrees for four years. </p>
<p>Universities also award top students three-year scholarships to help pay their living expenses while they do their research. Some offer grants to students while they write their thesis and are examined during their fourth year.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-a-good-time-to-be-getting-a-phd-we-asked-those-whove-done-it-159326">Is it a good time to be getting a PhD? We asked those who've done it</a>
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<p>But while scholarships and funding are time-dependent, progress depends on how much research a student gets done. They need to make enough discoveries to write a 100,000-word thesis. Despite completing annual (or six-monthly) reports on their progress, many find it <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2013.841649">hard to measure and plan</a> their research. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02602938.2017.1298717?journalCode=caeh20">One study</a> showed students took longer than expected to finish, even before the pandemic: 50% of full-time students took more than four years and one month to complete their degrees.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Otago University building" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441187/original/file-20220117-23-12t5nom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441187/original/file-20220117-23-12t5nom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441187/original/file-20220117-23-12t5nom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441187/original/file-20220117-23-12t5nom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441187/original/file-20220117-23-12t5nom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441187/original/file-20220117-23-12t5nom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441187/original/file-20220117-23-12t5nom.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Health scientists at the University of Otago estimated the pandemic affected 95% of their projects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Stalled research and disrupted study</h2>
<p>We don’t yet know how long PhDs will be extended as students try to recover time lost due to the pandemic. But closing university campuses during the lockdowns stalled many research projects. </p>
<p>Health scientists at the University of Otago, for example, estimated <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03036758.2020.1867202">95% of their projects were affected</a>. Like their <a href="https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/postgraduate-research-students-experiences-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic">overseas counterparts</a>, even those who could work from home struggled to make progress due to limited access to supervisors and colleagues.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-has-changed-university-teaching-here-are-five-things-to-stick-with-in-the-future-152287">COVID-19 has changed university teaching – here are five things to stick with in the future</a>
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<p>Now back in their labs, students are having to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01898-1">adjust their research plans</a>. A study by Te Pūnaha Matatini <a href="https://www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz/2020/10/31/impact-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-new-zealand-research-students/">highlighted</a> how vulnerable our doctoral students are to the ongoing crisis. Many need funded extensions to complete their research. They also face <a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/04-05-2020/covid-19-isnt-quite-the-boon-for-science-researchers-it-might-seem">shrinking job prospects</a> in academia.</p>
<p>The danger is some will abandon their degrees. Surveys suggest up to 25% of PhD students in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/10/almost-half-of-australian-phd-students-considering-disengaging-from-studies-due-to-pandemic">Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02441-y">Canada</a>, for example, may halt their training. </p>
<p>Losing a similar proportion of students in New Zealand will disrupt the research workforce that supports economic growth and social development.</p>
<h2>The power of ‘small wins’</h2>
<p>These are big challenges. A report from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment identified that universities, policymakers, funders and the community will need to work together to <a href="https://www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/11628-a-resilient-research-science-and-innovation-sector-enabilng-post-pandemic-economic-transformation">protect the future of the research sector</a>. In the meantime, I think two smaller changes could make a difference.</p>
<p>Improving how students measure their progress will increase the rate at which they complete their degrees. It is natural for students to struggle. They are searching for new data and insights in their field – stuff that is hard to find. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10212-016-0290-0">recent survey</a> highlighted that students who feel stuck, and think they have no significant results, are less likely to finish.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/after-2-years-of-covid-how-bad-has-it-really-been-for-university-finances-and-staff-172405">After 2 years of COVID, how bad has it really been for university finances and staff?</a>
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<p>Currently, there are two major milestones in most PhD programs. Students are assessed at the end of their first year and must have made enough progress developing their research project to continue their degree. After that, the next milestone for most is submission of their thesis.</p>
<p>Breaking thesis preparation down into manageable chunks during the years in between should help. Researchers following <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2020.1744125?casa_token=qpcFW4eRNuUAAAAA%3A3deDJ0-R31-D1FtSILx9YHij-S50qvo3BpCeRmpPMRuL9WAKRa1pWkPxC_x5uWb0bOKzqa9dI2mVfA">3,500 European students over 30 years</a> observed a jump in thesis completions when stricter deadlines for submission of thesis chapters were introduced. </p>
<p>Helping students make their progress tangible takes advantage of what we know about the <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/06/to-solve-big-problems-look-for-small-wins">power of small wins</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="lecturer speaking to students" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441188/original/file-20220117-25-1efmn3x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441188/original/file-20220117-25-1efmn3x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441188/original/file-20220117-25-1efmn3x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441188/original/file-20220117-25-1efmn3x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=304&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441188/original/file-20220117-25-1efmn3x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441188/original/file-20220117-25-1efmn3x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441188/original/file-20220117-25-1efmn3x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">PhD students want academic careers, but a 2020 study showed around 75% of graduates are employed outside universities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Better career advice</h2>
<p>The second change involves upgrading the career advice offered to students. Around the world, PhD students aim for a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03459-7">career in academia</a>. They often rate the alternatives as second best. </p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/assets/Research-Workforce-of-Aotearoa-NZ-briefing-paper-and-outcomes-Feb-2021.pdf">analysis of the national research workforce</a> in 2020 by the Royal Society of New Zealand showed around 75% of PhD graduates are employed outside universities. It’s vital, therefore, that students receive high-quality information about alternative careers. </p>
<p>Researchers at ANU have developed <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41307-018-0098-4?wt_mc=Internal.Event.1.SEM.ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst">artificial intelligence tools</a> that can analyse thousands of job advertisements and identify those suitable for PhD graduates. They found 80% of adverts for highly skilled researchers do not target people with PhD qualifications.</p>
<p>Taking advantage of the information provided by tools like this will improve how universities train students for their future careers. A better understanding of the demand for research skills should enhance the contribution PhD graduates make to the New Zealand economy. </p>
<p>And it will mean the next generation of researchers is ready to support the recovery from the pandemic.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173982/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Catherine Whitby does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>COVID-19 lockdowns have kept researchers from their labs and libraries and delayed projects. What can be done to reduce the likely impacts?Catherine Whitby, Postgraduate Lead in the School of Natural Sciences and Associate Professor in Chemistry, Massey UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1740962022-01-11T16:12:18Z2022-01-11T16:12:18Z‘You have to suffer for your PhD’: poor mental health among doctoral researchers – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440045/original/file-20220110-17-w758e8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C8%2C5982%2C3979&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/selective-focus-concentrated-asian-young-phd-1145042171">Ms.Lotus Bua/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>PhD students are the future of research, innovation and teaching at universities and beyond – but this future is at risk. There are already indications from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733317300422">previous research</a> that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2018.1425979?journalCode=cher20">there is</a> a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03489-1">mental health crisis</a> brewing among PhD researchers.</p>
<p>My colleagues and I <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-021-00983-8#Sec16">studied</a> the mental health of PhD researchers in the UK and discovered that, compared with working professionals, PhD students were more likely to meet the criteria for clinical levels of depression and anxiety. They were also more likely to have significantly more severe symptoms than the working-professional control group. </p>
<p>We surveyed 3,352 PhD students, as well as 1,256 working professionals who served as a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-021-00983-8#Sec16">matched comparison group</a>. We used the questionnaires used by NHS mental health services to assess several mental health symptoms. </p>
<p>More than 40% of PhD students met the criteria for moderate to severe depression or anxiety. In contrast, 32% of working professionals met these criteria for depression, and 26% for anxiety. </p>
<p>The groups reported an equally high risk of suicide. Between 33% and 35% of both PhD students and working professionals met the criteria for “suicide risk”. The figures for suicide risk might be so high because of the high rates of depression found in our sample. </p>
<p>We also asked PhD students what they thought about their own and their peers’ mental health. More than 40% of PhD students believed that experiencing a mental health problem during your PhD is the norm. A similar number (41%) told us that most of their PhD colleagues had mental health problems. </p>
<p>Just over a third of PhD students had considered ending their studies altogether for mental health reasons.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young woman in dark at library" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440047/original/file-20220110-25-5iy0o1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440047/original/file-20220110-25-5iy0o1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440047/original/file-20220110-25-5iy0o1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440047/original/file-20220110-25-5iy0o1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440047/original/file-20220110-25-5iy0o1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440047/original/file-20220110-25-5iy0o1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440047/original/file-20220110-25-5iy0o1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A culture of overwork may have an impact on PhD researchers’ mental health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/university-library-gifted-black-girl-uses-1752957992">Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There is clearly a high prevalence of mental health problems among PhD students, beyond those rates seen in the general public. Our results indicate a problem with the current system of PhD study – or perhaps with academic more widely. Academia notoriously encourages a culture of overwork and under-appreciation. </p>
<p>This mindset is present among PhD students. In our focus groups and surveys for <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/SGPE-06-2020-0034/full/html">other research</a>, PhD students reported wearing their suffering as a badge of honour and a marker that they are working hard enough rather than too much. One student <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/SGPE-06-2020-0034/full/html">told us</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“There is a common belief … you have to suffer for the sake of your PhD, if you aren’t anxious or suffering from impostor syndrome, then you aren’t doing it "properly”. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>We explored the potential risk factors that could lead to poor mental health among PhD students and the things that could protect their mental health. </p>
<p>Financial insecurity was one risk factor. Not all researchers receive funding to cover their course and personal expenses, and once their PhD is complete, there is no guarantee of a job. The number of people studying for a PhD is increasing without an equivalent increase in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01548-0">postdoctoral positions</a>.</p>
<p>Another risk factor was conflict in their relationship with their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883035519323845?via%3Dihub">academic supervisor</a>. An analogy offered by one of our PhD student collaborators likened the academic supervisor to a “sword” that you can use to defeat the “PhD monster”. If your weapon is ineffective, then it makes tackling the monster a difficult – if not impossible – task. Supervisor difficulties can take many forms. These can include a supervisor being inaccessible, overly critical or lacking expertise. </p>
<p>A lack of interests or relationships outside PhD study, or the presence of stressors in students’ <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/capr.12437">personal lives</a> were also risk factors. </p>
<p>We have also found an association between poor mental health and high levels of perfectionism, impostor syndrome (feeling like you don’t belong or deserve to be studying for your PhD) and the sense of <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/personal-social-and-relational-predictors-of-uk-postgraduate-researcher-mental-health-problems/09A304604A83DCF89A9135C49FAA5372">being isolated</a>. </p>
<h2>Better conversations</h2>
<p>Doctoral research is not all doom and gloom. There are many students who find studying for a PhD to be both <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/capr.12437">enjoyable and fulfilling</a>, and there are many examples of cooperative and nurturing research environments across academia. </p>
<p>Studying for a PhD is an opportunity for researchers to spend several years learning and exploring a topic they are passionate about. It is a training programme intended to equip students with the skills and expertise to further the world’s knowledge. These examples of good practice provide opportunities for us to learn about what works well and disseminate them more widely.</p>
<p>The wellbeing and mental health of PhD students is a subject that we must continue to talk about and reflect on. However, these conversations need to happen in a way that considers the evidence, offers balance, and avoids perpetuating unhelpful myths. </p>
<p>Indeed, in our own study, we found that the percentage of PhD students who believed their peers had mental health problems and that poor mental health was the norm, exceeded the rates of students who actually met diagnostic criteria for a common <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-021-00983-8#Sec16">mental health problem</a>. That is, PhD students may be overestimating the already high number of their peers who experienced mental health problems. </p>
<p>We therefore need to be careful about the messages we put out on this topic, as we may inadvertently make the situation worse. If messages are too negative, we may add to the myth that all PhD students experience mental health problems and help maintain the toxicity of academic culture.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174096/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cassie Hazell has received funding from the Office for Students. </span></em></p>More than 40% of the PhD students we surveyed met criteria for moderate to severe depression or anxiety.Cassie M Hazell, Lecturer in Social Sciences, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1629792021-06-20T07:42:33Z2021-06-20T07:42:33ZPasha 111: Why it’s important to improve Africa’s research output<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407181/original/file-20210618-18-1gh5k39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Peacebuilding</p>
<p>Research output across the African continent is really low. Many institutions that produce research are severely underdeveloped and underfunded. Many also have a major focus on undergraduate degrees and enrolments. This drive for an undergraduate degree has means that postgraduate education and research is falling short. </p>
<p>Improving research on the continent requires a massive shift. But to get this right means investing more in universities and in research centres and in research. This would include improving public private partnerships in research institutions, research and development in industry, think tanks, innovation hubs, incubators that can test proof concepts and new technologies and commercialisation</p>
<p>Basically, an entire system needs to be invested in. </p>
<p>A major part of this is that PhD studies need supporting. PhD’s are critical to contributing knowledge because they fill a gap in research. PhD’s help facilitate independent research and help people think through what the questions are that need answering. PhD’s across a variety of fields are critical. Research on vaccines, economies, coal and psychology, for example, are all aspects that need research. </p>
<p>In today’s episode of Pasha Sharon Fonn, a Professor of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand and co-director at the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) discusses how improving research would make a positive mark. </p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Photo:</strong><br>
“Multiracial medical scientists in hazmat suit working with microscope and laptop computer inside hospital lab” by DisobeyArt found on <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/multiracial-medical-scientists-hazmat-suit-working-1922326142">Shutterstock</a></p>
<p><strong>Music:</strong>
“Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/happy-african-village">FreeMusicArchive.org</a> licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1</a>.</p>
<p>“Tweaked loopable excerpt of frankum’s Freesound” by Timbre found on <a href="https://freesound.org/people/Timbre/sounds/418852/">Freesound</a> licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/">Attribution Noncommercial License.</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162979/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
It is crucial to improve research training in Africa. This can help solve complex issues on the continent.Ozayr Patel, Digital EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1593262021-06-01T04:40:58Z2021-06-01T04:40:58ZIs it a good time to be getting a PhD? We asked those who’ve done it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403494/original/file-20210531-15-dfgpy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/selective-focus-concentrated-asian-young-phd-1145042171">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The number of Australian PhD graduates reached around <a href="https://algorithm.data61.csiro.au/where-are-australias-phd-students/">10,000 a year</a> in 2019, twice as many as in 2005. However, the number of PhDs has been exceeding the available academic positions since as early as the mid-1990s. In 2020, universities <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-universities-face-losing-1-in-10-staff-covid-driven-cuts-create-4-key-risks-147007">purged around 10%</a> of their <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/03/more-than-17000-jobs-lost-at-australian-universities-during-covid-pandemic">workforce</a> due to the pandemic, and many university careers are <a href="https://theconversation.com/2021-is-the-year-australias-international-student-crisis-really-bites-153180">still vulnerable</a>. </p>
<p>Given these statistics, you might wonder if doing a PhD is still a good idea. Based on our discussions with PhD holders, there are still plenty of very good reasons, which is good news in 2021. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/2021-is-the-year-australias-international-student-crisis-really-bites-153180">2021 is the year Australia's international student crisis really bites</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In June 2020 we interviewed 12 PhD holders from multiple disciplines for our podcast <a href="https://www.careersessions.com">Career Sessions</a> to investigate the question: why do a PhD? </p>
<h2>Why do a PhD?</h2>
<p>The PhD is a mechanism for developing high-level research skills, learning about rigours of science or the development of theory. It sets you up with project management, problem-solving and analytical skills that are meaningful within and beyond academia. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It just taught me all those transferable skills, project management, and also now starting businesses. I’m amazed at how close starting a business is to doing a science project.” – Dr Andy Stapleton</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For our interviewees, the PhD is an opportunity to dive deeply into a topic they are passionate about. They also considered contributing new knowledge to be a privilege. The process taught them to be better thinkers, critical thinkers, and to view the world through new eyes.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The mental fitness to work at a high level, to be able to think at a high level, to be able to write it […] The topic is less important.” – Dr Gareth Furber</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The PhD is a voyage of discovery to a better understanding of how things work. It gives them a credible platform from which their voice can be heard and respected, and they can contribute to change. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I think it’s definitely like a springboard or something. It launches you into a whole other place and it gives you […] more of a voice. It’s a political act for me. It’s about making change.” – Dr Elizabeth Newnham</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The PhD is a tough and sometimes painful journey, but ultimately rewarding. The extraordinary was tempered by frustration, and the experience shaped their lives, increasing self-confidence and leading to new self-awareness. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/phd-completion-an-evidence-based-guide-for-students-supervisors-and-universities-99650">PhD completion: an evidence-based guide for students, supervisors and universities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>When asked whether they would they do it again, no-one hesitated in saying “yes”. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“You will never stretch your brain in a way that a PhD forces you to.” – Professor Kate Douglas.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The PhD is <em>not</em> necessarily a golden ticket to an academic career, but the experience and skills you develop will be meaningful for your future.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“What I’d done in my PhD gave me a lot broader sense than just my own personal experience. There were a lot of people that have heard me speak and a lot of that’s been informed by the PhD. So it might not be direct, but it’s informed who I am.” – Dr Susan Close </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Advice from our guests</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Checklist of honorific" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403490/original/file-20210531-15-1gdut1p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403490/original/file-20210531-15-1gdut1p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=700&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403490/original/file-20210531-15-1gdut1p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=700&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403490/original/file-20210531-15-1gdut1p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=700&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403490/original/file-20210531-15-1gdut1p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=880&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403490/original/file-20210531-15-1gdut1p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=880&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403490/original/file-20210531-15-1gdut1p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=880&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It takes years of hard work to be able to tick the PhD box, so you have to be sure it’s right for you.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/dr-typography-illustration-phd-woman-1672169338">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Keep both your eyes and your mind open. Pick a topic you are passionate about. Speak to people both within and outside academia to find out where this could lead. Think about whether you actually need a PhD to get to where you want to be. </p>
<p>You’ll have to make some judgement calls about how a PhD can fit into your life. </p>
<p>And find the right supervisor! They are the most important relationship you will have throughout your candidature, and they are a solid reference for what comes next. Finding the right supervisor will always <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03098770701424983">enhance your PhD experience</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ten-types-of-phd-supervisor-relationships-which-is-yours-52967">Ten types of PhD supervisor relationships – which is yours?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A PhD isn’t right for everyone. Ask yourself, is it the right time for you and your research interests? Are you resilient? <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03489-1">Mental health among PhD students is poor</a> </p>
<p>Our podcast guests have witnessed PhD students’ struggles. The pathway of a PhD candidate is not linear. There are many ups and downs. You will meander in many unplanned directions and often take wrong turns. </p>
<p>When you have completed your PhD, the hard work is really just starting. It is a gateway, but there are a lot of PhDs out there. It is what comes next that really counts. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It’s a gateway. You’re learning how to do research. But if you really want to be successful afterwards, you need to apply that, and be diligent about that as well, and have a good work ethic.” – Dr Mark Krstic</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-5-phd-students-could-drop-out-here-are-some-tips-for-how-to-keep-going-131902">1 in 5 PhD students could drop out. Here are some tips for how to keep going</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A PhD in any field is an achievement. Even the most niche topics will contribute knowledge to a field that is important for many people. The reward is intrinsic and only you can identify how doing a PhD will contribute to your life. It gives you a great toolkit to identify the doors that are appropriate for you. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The first paper was the most exciting thing. […] at that time I thought of papers as like a version of immortality. My name is on something that will last forever. I think this is my legacy.” – Dr Cameron Shearer</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403732/original/file-20210601-21-1j9v6u3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Table showing guests of Career Sessions podcast, their PhD thesis titles, and what they are doing now" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403732/original/file-20210601-21-1j9v6u3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403732/original/file-20210601-21-1j9v6u3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403732/original/file-20210601-21-1j9v6u3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403732/original/file-20210601-21-1j9v6u3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403732/original/file-20210601-21-1j9v6u3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403732/original/file-20210601-21-1j9v6u3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403732/original/file-20210601-21-1j9v6u3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Guests of Career Sessions podcast and what they are doing now.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159326/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Career Sessions was sponsored by a grant from Inspiring SA (<a href="https://inspiringsa.org.au/">https://inspiringsa.org.au/</a>). </span></em></p>A PhD isn’t a golden ticket to success, but it is a brilliant opportunity to “flex your academic muscles and learn a lot about yourself”.Tamara Agnew, Researcher, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders UniversityStephanie Champion, Postdoctoral Research Associate, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1457182020-09-21T14:36:45Z2020-09-21T14:36:45ZWhat can be done to better support women pursuing their PhDs in Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/358312/original/file-20200916-16-1rrs2u8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women in a lab</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">anyaivanova/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A Doctor of Philosophy – commonly known as a <a href="https://www.topuniversities.com/blog/what-phd">PhD</a> – is the highest level of academic training. It allows the degree holder to teach the chosen subject at university, conduct research or practise in the specialised area. </p>
<p>However, in many African countries like Kenya there are <a href="http://www.cue.or.ke/index.php/downloads/category/18-universities-data-0-3">gender gaps</a> when it comes to women enrolling in, and completing, their PhD studies. This subsequently <a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-gender-gap-report-2017">affects their</a> recruitment into university teaching and research positions. Women make up just <a href="http://data.uis.unesco.org/">just</a> 30% of the Africa’s researchers.</p>
<p>There are various reasons for this. For instance, <a href="https://www.pasgr.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Gender-Barriers-Scoping-Paper-Final.pdf">a study</a> covering several African countries found that barriers include sexual harassment, a lack of mentors – with some male faculty mentors unwilling to act as mentors for junior women – and difficulty finding a balance between career and family. </p>
<p>A study by the African Academy of Sciences reported similar challenges faced by women scholars in <a href="https://www.aasciences.africa/sites/default/files/Publications/Women%20in%20STEM%20Report_Final.pdf">science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)</a> disciplines. It found that the success of women already working in STEM was highly influenced by the work environment, the recruitment process and gender relations. <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20180214101303394">More has to be done</a> to help women overcome gender-based challenges. </p>
<p>To support postgraduates in further education, <a href="https://aphrc.org/addrf/">several</a> <a href="https://ideal.kemri-wellcome.org/">initiatives</a> offer PhD fellowships – a merit-based scholarship – in Africa. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I from the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) wanted to examine one of these and how it catered for women. Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16549716.2019.1670002">case study</a> was on the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA). This is an initiative that was formed in 2008 and is jointly led by the APHRC, based in Kenya, and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. </p>
<p>We focused on CARTA for our study because it tries to build the capacity of individual PhD scholars – who focus on public and population health – using doctoral fellowships and research grants. CARTA also tries to get member universities to <a href="http://cartafrica.org/institutionalization-of-carta/">institutionalise</a> good practices. </p>
<p>By the end of 2019, CARTA had graduated 87 of its 209 active PhD fellows. These individuals <a href="http://cartafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BKC_CARTA-evaluation-report_V5.pdf">produced</a> peer-reviewed publications and some fellows were promoted in their academic careers. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/africas-research-ecosystem-needs-a-culture-of-mentoring-143030">Africa's research ecosystem needs a culture of mentoring</a>
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<p>Of the active fellows, 55% are women. We found that the programme caters well for women looking to complete their doctorates. For instance, it recognises that women need special consideration when it comes to pregnancy and in the care of newborn babies, and that they may have different responsibilities when it comes to domestic chores and the care of the family. </p>
<p>All of these are factors could have previously prevented them from enrolling in, or completing, their PhDs. It’s important that other institutions offering fellowships replicate aspects of this model to better support Africa’s women academics.</p>
<h2>Gender-sensitive</h2>
<p>CARTA works with eight partner African universities and four research centres. Individuals attached to these institutions can apply for PhD fellowships that can last for up to four years. The fellowship includes participation in seminars, stipends and small grants for research activities. </p>
<p>One of CARTA’s gender-sensitive policies is that it uses a different cut-off age for male and female applicants, at 40 and 45 years respectively. The aim of this is to cater for women who may have been delayed starting their PhD studies until later because they had children.</p>
<p>PhD fellows are entitled to paid maternity and paternity leave. And fellows are granted a leave of absence during their maternity leave – their award restarts upon their return. This ensures they are not penalised in any way and eventually enjoy the same benefits as other fellows.</p>
<p>The programme also supports new parents as they participate in month-long “joint advanced seminars”, training courses offered four times in the course of the PhD. CARTA pays for the cost of a childminder during the seminar, and the fellow can use this facility for as many seminars as they need. </p>
<p>We found that meeting these practical needs during training supported women to maintain on-time graduation rates similar to their male counterparts. </p>
<p>There are a few challenges though. A recent <a href="http://cartafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BKC_CARTA-evaluation-report_V5.pdf">evaluation</a> of the CARTA programme revealed that it lacked systematisation of data and learning from it. </p>
<p>A second challenge relates to building a stronger feedback mechanism between actors. While the CARTA programme has managed to address practical gender needs, structural barriers – like unequal pay and unfair workloads – can be addressed by working with institutions to change their gender policies in higher education. </p>
<h2>Future benefits</h2>
<p>Having a programme like this, which strategically addresses gender differences, has long-term benefits. Women CARTA fellows were able to gain certain strategic advantages in academia. This includes promotion to senior academic and leadership positions, winning other research grants, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16549716.2020.1768795">sustaining collaborative research</a> and being recognised by their peers, hence providing female role models to junior scholars.</p>
<p>The programme is a timely initiative that ought to be replicated for greater coverage across the continent. It would take careful programming, <a href="https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/6/e002286">commitment of resources in cash and kind</a> and sustainable partnerships by African state and non-state actors with northern partners. But these could help create a more gender equal mix of successful PhD researchers and faculty on the continent.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145718/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anne Khisa, PhD is a recipient of the CARTA PhD fellowships (2013) and CARTA post doctoral fellowship (2018).
At the time of publishing this article, Dr. Khisa is a postdoctoral research fellow at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Kenya. CARTA is jointly led by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Kenya, and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa.
</span></em></p>Fellowships should recognise that women may have different responsibilities when it comes to domestic chores and care of the family. This influences their academic opportunities and career choices.Anne M. Khisa, PhD, Post- Doctoral Research Fellow, African Population and Health Research CenterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1447992020-09-15T06:08:54Z2020-09-15T06:08:54ZPhD students need support at the best of the times. How can you help in a pandemic?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357630/original/file-20200911-20-k1bbqo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C6000%2C3979&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The loss of in-person contact with supervisors and peers has added to the challenges graduate students face.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A typical Australian PhD often involves a focused research project at one university, with one to two supervisors, and often far from your home or home country. It can be a quite isolating experience. </p>
<p>PhD students are also at great risk of mental health problems. A pre-COVID study from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048733317300422">Belgium</a> found one in two PhD students experiences psychological distress. One in three is at risk of psychiatric disorder. </p>
<p>And this year a pandemic has been thrown into the mix.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-increases-risk-to-international-students-mental-health-australia-urgently-needs-to-step-up-137596">COVID-19 increases risk to international students' mental health. Australia urgently needs to step up</a>
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<p>The cross-institutional, collaborative nature of the <a href="https://www.arc.gov.au/grants/linkage-program/arc-centres-excellence">Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence</a> has allowed a re-imagining of the Australian PhD experience. Here we outline the steps the <a href="https://climateextremes.org.au/about-us/">ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes</a> has taken to support our graduate students during COVID. There’s a checklist later in this article.</p>
<p>The graduate director, a dedicated academic position, leads the program and also acts as an advocate and mentor to our students. At any one time the centre has 100 graduate students, 60% of them international, enrolled in one of five universities across four cities.</p>
<h2>COVID added to existing needs</h2>
<p>The cross-institutional nature of our centre meant our students went into the pandemic already used to videoconference meetings, seminars and training. What was lost, however, was the important and often ad-hoc supportive and collaborative conversations with peers and colleagues. These chats could happen at conferences and workshops, or simply with office mates in the work kitchen. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357628/original/file-20200911-14-12yox89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Weary man leaning against shelf of books" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357628/original/file-20200911-14-12yox89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357628/original/file-20200911-14-12yox89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357628/original/file-20200911-14-12yox89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357628/original/file-20200911-14-12yox89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357628/original/file-20200911-14-12yox89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1156&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357628/original/file-20200911-14-12yox89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1156&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357628/original/file-20200911-14-12yox89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1156&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Many PhD students feel the strain of juggling multiple challenges, often a long way from home.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/college-student-who-has-run-out-1209186">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Beyond the challenges of continuing their research under new, even more isolating, conditions, our students also have a range of individual factors to deal with in the current circumstances. These may include: caring responsibilities, challenging work-from-home environments, being far from family, or simply the mental load of undertaking a PhD during a pandemic.</p>
<p>Early on in the centre’s life we set up mental health initiatives to ensure centre-wide support and well-being. These initiatives range from weekly hump-day tips focused on mental well-being through to ensuring we had staff and students at each university trained in <a href="https://mhfa.com.au/">mental health first aid</a>. This sort of support has become increasingly important during the calamity 2020 has become. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-one-would-even-know-if-i-had-died-in-my-room-coronavirus-leaves-international-students-in-dire-straits-144128">'No one would even know if I had died in my room': coronavirus leaves international students in dire straits</a>
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<h2>Help where you can, or call on others</h2>
<p>Importantly, we recognise as supervisors we cannot resolve all issues. While we can provide an empathetic ear, in many cases students need to be redirected to the mental health support our universities’ counselling services provide.</p>
<p>We realised early on in the pandemic leaders in the centre can only offer support when they themselves are supported. Therefore, members of our centre executive received guidance, and have undertaken training, on managing others in a time of crisis. This was offered via their universities’ employee assistance program.</p>
<p>Our researchers were specifically tasked with checking in on all their students. We asked questions about working-from-home environments to ensure students had the computing and internet resources needed to continue their research. We also made note of any circumstances that might affect progress, such as caring responsibilities. </p>
<p>Any issues the centre could resolve we did. Those we could not resolve we reported in student progress review documents. We ensured students were aware of extra support available such as university counselling services.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-ways-the-coronavirus-outbreak-will-affect-international-students-and-how-unis-can-help-131195">3 ways the coronavirus outbreak will affect international students and how unis can help</a>
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<h2>Financial hardship increased</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357631/original/file-20200911-18-h0lj48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357631/original/file-20200911-18-h0lj48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357631/original/file-20200911-18-h0lj48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357631/original/file-20200911-18-h0lj48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357631/original/file-20200911-18-h0lj48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357631/original/file-20200911-18-h0lj48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357631/original/file-20200911-18-h0lj48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357631/original/file-20200911-18-h0lj48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Three-quarters of PhD students surveyed expected the pandemic to cause them financial hardship.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-student-worried-over-unpaid-bills-257244583">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>A <a href="https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-36330/v2">recent study</a> of Australian PhD students showed 75% expected to experience financial hardship as a result of the pandemic, and we have seen that. Students close to completion were hit hardest. They were faced with the end of their scholarships at a time of employment uncertainty, often with no access to government support, and closed borders that prevented them returning home. </p>
<p>The centre quickly offered scholarships to provide bridging funds after thesis submission. These scholarships were offered once individual university support was exhausted and required a tangible outcome at the end, such as writing up a thesis chapter for submission to a journal.</p>
<h2>Working to stay connected</h2>
<p>At the same time as we dealt with the practical realities of student finances and research, we made every effort to keep everyone socially connected. </p>
<p>Our annual winter school, a cornerstone event of the graduate program, shifted online. To avoid Zoom fatigue we replaced the week-long face-to-face schedule with a winter school offered in two-hour slots. Sessions were recorded and breakout rooms used to focus student engagement with each other. When we saw how delighted students were to see each other in small groups and catch up, it was a sign for us to step out and let them engage with their peers.</p>
<p>We introduced additional Slack channels, held virtual morning and afternoon teas and put together a weekly centre-wide lunch for all early career researchers. The numbers in these virtual meet-ups declined as students settled into new routines. In contrast, our research meeting and seminar attendances went through the roof. We found if an event has a purpose people attend, even while social check-ups became less successful.</p>
<p>Finally, we continued to celebrate successes and PhD submissions in a long-running weekly email update. In these updates, we made it clear we understood the impacts of these uncertain times on students’ progress.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357632/original/file-20200911-22-fbgj2t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Checklist of ways to support grad students" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357632/original/file-20200911-22-fbgj2t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357632/original/file-20200911-22-fbgj2t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357632/original/file-20200911-22-fbgj2t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357632/original/file-20200911-22-fbgj2t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357632/original/file-20200911-22-fbgj2t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357632/original/file-20200911-22-fbgj2t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357632/original/file-20200911-22-fbgj2t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>While not everything worked perfectly, our centre-wide relationship with students put us in an excellent position to respond quickly, transparently and with student input as the pandemic unfolded.</p>
<p>We do not know how long this pandemic will last. What we do know is all current and any incoming PhD candidates will feel the impacts in some way. With PhD students producing <a href="https://go8.edu.au/files/docs/the-changing-phd_final.pdf">more than half</a> of university research in Australia, this crisis illustrates the importance of ongoing development and support of higher-degree research students.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144799/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Hart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Life for graduate students can be hard work and often isolating, and COVID-19 piled on the pressures. That’s when having an academic leader and program dedicated to supporting them proved its worth.Melissa Hart, Graduate Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1448532020-08-27T04:34:04Z2020-08-27T04:34:04ZJob-ready graduates changes loom as last straw for emerging researchers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354812/original/file-20200826-7211-19zid8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5615%2C3741&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/scientist-sleeps-work-lab-1443473396">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With the federal government <a href="https://theconversation.com/nationals-win-cheaper-fees-for-social-work-and-psychology-in-job-ready-graduates-legislation-145045">making concessions</a> on the <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/job-ready/job-ready-graduates-package-draft-legislation-consultation">Job-ready Graduates Package</a>, we are closer to it <a href="https://theconversation.com/nationals-win-cheaper-fees-for-social-work-and-psychology-in-job-ready-graduates-legislation-145045">becoming law</a>. It’s meant to take effect in 2021. We prepared a <a href="https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy-and-analysis/submissions-government/submission%E2%80%94job-ready-graduates">submission</a> on behalf of the <a href="https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/early-and-mid-career-researchers-0">Australian Academy of Sciences’ EMCR Forum</a> that warns the package is unlikely to achieve its aims, and could drive an exhausted workforce of early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) from the industry.</p>
<p>The draft legislation <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-20/study-arts-and-humanities-government-fees-tertiary-education/12374124">lowers student fees for some courses and increases fees for others</a>. The changes also attempt to right wrongs that disadvantaged regional universities, as the sector has evolved since the <a href="https://nitro.edu.au/nitro-edition-15">Dawkins reforms of the late 1980s</a>. In the process, however, the government is <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-would-save-1-billion-a-year-with-proposed-university-reforms-but-thats-not-what-its-telling-us-142256">reducing its overall funding contribution</a> across all subjects. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-would-save-1-billion-a-year-with-proposed-university-reforms-but-thats-not-what-its-telling-us-142256">The government would save $1 billion a year with proposed university reforms — but that's not what it's telling us</a>
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<h2>Who does most of the research and teaching?</h2>
<p>To understand the long-term consequences for research and development, we need to dissect how research and teaching are intertwined and driven by a voiceless cohort within the R&D sector: early and mid-career researchers. They are typically defined as researchers less than 15 years out of their PhD. </p>
<p>Their research outputs in universities, government and industry are critical for Australia’s economy and research standing globally. Their work has helped make education one of the largest contributors to the economy.</p>
<p>The tertiary education sector is worth <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/ABS@Archive.nsf/log?openagent&5204005_gva_by_industry.xls&5204.0&Time%20Series%20Spreadsheet&FA94764FE6C47AE1CA25849D00108391&0&2018-19&25.10.2019&Latest">A$91 billion a year</a> while costing state and federal governments <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/5518.0.55.001">A$38.4 billion a year</a>. When combined with the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/ABS@Archive.nsf/log?openagent&5204005_gva_by_industry.xls&5204.0&Time%20Series%20Spreadsheet&FA94764FE6C47AE1CA25849D00108391&0&2018-19&25.10.2019&Latest">A$98 billion</a> added from the “professional, scientific, and technical services” sector (which tertiary education trains for), we are talking about a large slice of our economy.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/early-and-mid-career-scientists-face-a-bleak-future-in-the-wake-of-the-pandemic-144350">Early and mid-career scientists face a bleak future in the wake of the pandemic</a>
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<p>How will the proposed changes affect scientific research in practice? Research is a painstaking endeavour achieved via often deliberate, always methodical, experimentation, data collection and interpretation. This work can take many years to complete.</p>
<p>On the ground, research is not mainly the work of an individual professor, as often portrayed in popular fiction, but represents the collective work of younger researchers. The countless hours put in by research assistants and emerging research leaders underpins Australia’s scientific output. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352470/original/file-20200812-14-1yp4kuy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352470/original/file-20200812-14-1yp4kuy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=220&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352470/original/file-20200812-14-1yp4kuy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=220&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352470/original/file-20200812-14-1yp4kuy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=220&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352470/original/file-20200812-14-1yp4kuy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=276&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352470/original/file-20200812-14-1yp4kuy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=276&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352470/original/file-20200812-14-1yp4kuy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=276&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The majority of early to mid-career researchers surveyed by the EMCR Forum are employed by universities.</span>
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<p>Over the past few decades, however, individuals with fixed-term contracts do much of the research work (“research only” or “post-docs”) while casual contracts <a href="https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/2564262/2016-contingent-academic-employment-in-australian-universities-updatedapr16.pdf">drive much of the teaching and tutoring</a>. They are rarely provided with ongoing, permanent contracts. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-70-of-academics-at-some-universities-are-casuals-theyre-losing-work-and-are-cut-out-of-jobkeeper-137778">More than 70% of academics at some universities are casuals. They're losing work and are cut out of JobKeeper</a>
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<p>Universities often employ early to mid-career researchers on a casual or short-term basis. This leaves them at the mercy of an administrator’s spreadsheet. They are particularly vulnerable as universities look to cut costs due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on revenues. </p>
<p>In the past month alone, the <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/500-face-axe-uts">University of Technology Sydney</a>, <a href="https://www.uow.edu.au/media/2020/broad-changes-coming-to-address-covid-19-financial-impact.php">University of Wollongong</a>, <a href="https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/25/macq-a25.html">Macquarie University</a>, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/hundreds-more-university-jobs-to-go-as-la-trobe-vic-uni-announce-cuts-20200813-p55lbo.html">La Trobe University and Victoria University</a> have announced thousands of expected redundancies into 2021. And these numbers do not include casual or fixed-term positions that have not been renewed, nor redundancies in future years. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-are-cutting-hundreds-of-jobs-they-and-the-government-can-do-better-142824">Universities are cutting hundreds of jobs – they, and the government, can do better</a>
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<p>While the sector will eventually recover from COVID-19, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/early-and-mid-career-scientists-face-a-bleak-future-in-the-wake-of-the-pandemic-144350">EMCR Forum’s work</a> shows even a small disruption to an emerging researcher’s career is likely to lead to their exit from the research and teaching workforce. Their skills and knowledge will be lost with them. One respondent to our survey summed up their plight:</p>
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<p>Sessional teaching contracts are cancelled and will not be back. Lots of EMCRs, including me, are facing financial difficulties and uncertainties on top of their increased workload and caring duties. I need to bring [externally funded] projects to uni to employ myself otherwise I can’t pay my mortgage.</p>
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<p>These researchers have committed themselves to a sector that in many cases has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-18/rmit-uq-now-among-universities-accused-of-underpaying-staff/12565528">overworked and underpaid them</a>. They have done so in the hope of building a career, on top of trying to start or support a family after training that usually lasts ten years or more. </p>
<p>Also lost when these researchers leave is the taxpayer investment in their training. We estimated this at A$168,032 to $A332,344 per new researcher for an <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/2019_indexed_rates_0.pdf">undergraduate degree</a>, <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/examining_the_full_cost_of_research_training.pdf">PhD direct costs</a> and <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/research-training-program">PhD stipend</a>. Post-PhD training can add another A$300,000 over three years including salary and associated costs. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1281847366375501824"}"></div></p>
<h2>Federal funding cuts will be the final straw</h2>
<p>The government based its proposed changes on a <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/transparency_in_higher_education_expenditure_for_publication_1.pdf">Deloitte report</a> that failed to substantiate what form higher education reform ought to take. </p>
<p>Our submission challenged the report’s reliance on <a href="https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy-and-analysis/submissions-government/submission%E2%80%94job-ready-graduates">questionable</a> statistics. It also avoided drilling down into the causes of variation in university costs. For example, the University of Sydney and James Cook University were treated as equals, including their mission and the people they serve. </p>
<p>That the government allowed <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/job-ready/job-ready-graduates-package-draft-legislation-consultation">less than a week</a> for public consultation on the draft legislation only worries us more.</p>
<p>If a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/26/australian-university-education-predicted-to-decline-amid-job-cuts-and-ballooning-enrolments">projected increase in student numbers</a>, and hence fee revenue, overcomes the shortfall in university budgets, then vice chancellors are more likely to be satisfied. That may look good when viewed in a spreadsheet, but not if viewed through the lens of the 5,000-plus members of the EMCR Forum.</p>
<p>Early and mid-career researchers – as the “junior” (and therefore cheaper) teaching staff – know COVID-19 has overwhelmed them to the point of exhaustion. These reforms will be the final straw for young researchers as universities declare that further “efficiencies” will be needed to teach within their reduced budgets. The chief executive of the Group of Eight universities, Vicki Thomson, <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/government-cuts-course-fees-locks-in-funding-after-unis-nationals-raise-fears-20200825-p55p4v.html">stated</a>:</p>
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<p>We are being asked to teach more students with less support at a time when, collectively, the Group of Eight is facing a $2 billion revenue downgrade in 2020 and most likely worse to follow in 2021. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-and-university-reforms-put-at-risk-australias-research-gains-of-the-last-15-years-141452">Coronavirus and university reforms put at risk Australia's research gains of the last 15 years</a>
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<p>The Group of Eight is among those seeking a Senate review.</p>
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<h2>Australia can’t afford to lose these researchers</h2>
<p>These policies will have a direct and broad impact on Australian society. A vastly reduced research capacity will cripple our ability to overcome the challenges we face. No generation of scientists has been needed more as bushfires, drought, floods, international tensions, trade protectionism and racism at the highest level of global governance are coming to a head. </p>
<p>As the people who underpin Australia’s research capacity are now preparing for a bleak future, the federal government has chosen <a href="https://theconversation.com/collapse-of-australian-car-manufacturing-will-harm-randd-in-other-sectors-study-66984">once more to sacrifice Australia’s economy</a> and climate change resilience. The consequences could end our reputation as the lucky country.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144853/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexie Papanicolaou receives or received funding from the Australian Research Council, the CRC for Plant Biosecurity, and previously worked for the CSIRO. He is Deputy Chair of the Australian Academy of Science's EMCR Forum Executive; as part of the EMCR Forum he co-authored a submission on the legislative draft that this article refers to.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Ray is currently working with the EMCR Forum Executive and co-authored a submission on the legislative draft this article refers to.</span></em></p>The early and mid-career researchers who bear most of the teaching and research workload are exhausted and underpaid. Many won’t survive the funding squeeze, but Australia can’t afford to lose them.Alexie Papanicolaou, Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics, Western Sydney UniversityAndrew Ray, Research Assistant, ANU College of Law, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1409882020-08-16T12:12:30Z2020-08-16T12:12:30ZPhD students can benefit from non-academic mentors’ outside perspectives<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352269/original/file-20200811-24-141ydpi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C211%2C5215%2C3265&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Non-academic mentors, especially those familiar with the culture of academia, can offer empathy, validation and healthy perspectives.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Brooke Cagle/Unsplash)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A mentor is a professional who acclimates a protégé into a profession. In the <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Geography-of-Genius/Eric-Weiner/9781451691672">Bottegas of Renaissance Florence</a>, upstart Leonardo Da Vinci pulverized Tuscan stone and collected eggs <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/tempera-painting">to make tempera</a> for mentor <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrea-del-Verrocchio">Andrea del Verrocchio</a>, who might allow Da Vinci to assist Michelangelo with his paintings.</p>
<p>Although this model was adopted by the research laboratories of the Enlightenment through to postmodernism, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03535-y">it is now faltering</a>. </p>
<p>With less than <a href="https://www.conferenceboard.ca/edu/research/valuing-preparing-phds-for-careers">20 per cent of PhD students</a> being able to transition into academia, the PhD is no longer a foremost career entree into the professoriate. Most PhD students no longer work alongside people whose career paths they will follow. In light of this, universities must do more to support non-academic mentorships for PhD students. </p>
<h2>Career confidence</h2>
<p>Some of my research focuses on the value of students <a href="https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/pplt/article/view/68677">procuring non-academic mentors through informational interviews</a>. By embedding informational interviewing into curriculum, I have studied how students can learn to explore non-academic careers, connect with working professionals, seek advice and cultivate professional, mentor-protégé relationships. Through this process, students learn the tacit knowledge they often are missing, showing substantial improvements in their career confidence and well-being. </p>
<p>Because linear career progression is ending, forcing people to change jobs frequently, students should be taught skills to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845317727616">adapt to uncertain labour markets</a>. Hence, it is important to teach students how to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569910376533">investigate, reflect on and test potential careers</a>. </p>
<p>The concept of a “future professional self” helps expand a student’s aspirations. Career reflection fosters innovative thinking about prospects, helping to build strategies and expectations that make ambitions real. Once students know what they want to do, they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026423">more inspired to work towards reaching their goals</a>. </p>
<p>My daughter, Kate, also recently shared with me her experience as a non-academic mentor in Dalhousie University’s clinical psychology PhD program. She has also shaped my perspectives on how non-academic mentors offer PhD students the opportunity to develop meaningful perspectives and connections. </p>
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<img alt="Two women sit in an office with laptops having a discussion." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Career reflection fosters innovative thinking about prospects, helping to build strategies and expectations that make ambitions real.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Christina Wocintechchat/Unsplash)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<h2>Competitive ethic</h2>
<p>PhD students who perceive a narrowing scope of opportunities as they advance may become disillusioned with their thesis work, thus limiting their productivity and <a href="https://cags.ca/documents/publications/working/completion_grad_studies_2004.pdf">increasing their completion time</a>. </p>
<p>PhD students are among the highest-achieving individuals in our society, which can be both a blessing and a curse. A focus on achievement is generally a necessary academic quality, as culture establishes researchers (and trainees by default) as “entrepreneurs” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1404094111">responsible for their own survival</a>. A survival-of-the-fittest mentality has arisen in academia with the tremendous <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/14/upshot/so-many-research-scientists-so-few-openings-as-professors.html">surplus of talent in the professor pool</a>. </p>
<p>While competition helps to drive the university research agenda forward, we have found when we talk with current and recent PhD students and professors that this competition undermines the well-being of graduate students and faculty alike. </p>
<p>For many, the PhD becomes a bad deal because they do not see (and are not shown) <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/ph-d-attrition-how-much-is-too-much/">a way out of a horrible situation</a> — or they fear <a href="https://community.chronicle.com/news/417-adjuncts-and-the-sunk-cost-fallacy">the sunk cost</a>. PhD students often struggle to know how to navigate these situations, as the philosophy that guides their approach is often “work harder, and you will succeed.”</p>
<h2>Strain on professor-protégé relationship</h2>
<p>Yet, since the bare facts of the job market mean that even if PhD students demonstrate an outstanding work ethic, many will have to leave academia in search of other careers. This places tremendous stress upon the mentor-protégé relationship between PhD students and professors. </p>
<p>Because our universities have not systematically embedded entrepreneurship and career planning into doctoral studies, it’s not surprising if most professors believe they cannot acclimate their trainees into a profession outside of academia, like industry or government. Worse yet, some professors <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/02/26/should-professors-be-responsible-their-students-workplace">believe it’s not their responsibility</a>.</p>
<p>A professor’s very survival may be dependent on the productivity of their PhD students. Many professors buffer their own careers by securing students’ research help with their own publications, while de-emphasizing pursuits that can better prepare students for their own futures such as entrepreneurship, teaching, outreach or internships.</p>
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<img alt="A young man and an older man chat in front of a bookcase with a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Working harder is not the answer to securing future employment for PhD students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<h2>Perfect storm for frustration, health issues</h2>
<p>The above factors generate a perfect storm for the development and/or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.4089">exacerbation of mental health problems among graduate students</a>. Students with a propensity for achievement find themselves in a culture that narrowly defines success, a career landscape that makes it nearly impossible to achieve this success and a profound lack of support given the challenges of navigating new opportunities after graduate school. </p>
<p>Combined with concerns of not knowing how to transition to the non-academic workforce, supervisor criticism and/or neglect may contribute to “locus of control” problems wherein students <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/moments-matter/201708/locus-control">do not feel they have control over the events that influence their lives</a>. Research shows that such perceptions of loss of control in students can contribute to the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01430">onset of mental health issues</a>.</p>
<p>The primary consequence of this mentorship approach is that it undermines students’ self-confidence, leaving many to question their self worth, as though the inability to secure work as a professor is a personal failure. Non-academic mentors may be a means of mitigating the effects of this problem.</p>
<h2>Empathy, healthy perspectives</h2>
<p>In addition to providing mentorship around envisioning and navigating the transition, non-academic mentors are uniquely positioned to offset the potentially damaging effects of academic mentorship on students’ self-confidence. This may be especially true of non-academic mentors who themselves completed a PhD and transitioned into successful careers beyond academia.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/humanities-phd-grads-working-in-non-academic-jobs-could-shake-up-university-culture-127298">Humanities PhD grads working in non-academic jobs could shake up university culture</a>
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<p>Non-academic mentors, especially those familiar with university culture, can provide empathy, validation and healthy perspectives. Such experiences can protect students by showing them that self-worth is not contingent on achievement, self-care is not a sign of laziness and new experiences add value to one’s life. </p>
<p>They can also offer alternative points of view: that success is broadly defined, academic expectations are unrealistic and failure is necessary for development. These can act as a balm for times when students’ confidence or self-worth is otherwise challenged or bruised by academia. </p>
<p><em>Kate Rancourt co-authored this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Derrick Rancourt receives funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Natural Sciences & Engineering Council and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>The realities of the job market mean most PhD students no longer work alongside people whose professional paths they will follow. Universities must do more to support non-academic mentorships.Derrick Rancourt, Professor, Cumming School of Medicine, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.